Let me tell you a story, a story about fear, about courage and also about growing up.

When I was a little girl,around 8 years old, I tried playing Banjo-Kazooie and I felt in love with the funny characters and story. I also felt in love with the original themed worlds I couldn't wait to discover one after the other. Back then, my favorite worlds were Treasure Trove Cove, Freezeezy's Peak, Mad Monster Mansion and Click Clock Wood, they felt so magical in my young mind. However, there was a world I disliked a lot, and that world was Clanker's Cavern. Why ? Because my little 8 years old mind couldn't find the courage to dive down, so deep... The task seemed simple, I saw my big brother do it himself, go through the big key three times and Clanker will rise. I really wanted to help that poor Clanker, help him breath fresh air again, I really wanted to get the special move you could learn inside of him, and of course he was an important part of this level and I just knew how important it was to make him rise to the surface. I asked my big brother to do this task for me, but he kept refusing, no matter how many times I asked him. He kept saying I had to beat my fear and do it myself. I knew he was right, or maybe he was afraid himself to try it again and fail this time.

It was just a video game, a collectathon, but in my little yound mind, it wasn't just a video game, it wasn't just a collectathon, the game felt real, the characters felt real, yet, even with all my desire to help Clanker's situation, even with all my desire to get that very important special move, with all my desire to make Clanker rise so I could collect important jiggies and other items, I was too scared to dive down in the deep water area, where a scary music would start playing, reminding me everytime I tried I could easily drown down there. I was so scared of drowning, my fear stopped me from finishing the third world, and I moved to the next worlds and managed to get to Click Clock Wood without collecting everything in Clanker's Cavern, without the Wonderwing ability. Unable to beat the quiz, I stopped playing the game.

The whole Clanker challenge still stayed in my mind, to the point of having nightmares, a nightmare I still remember clearly today even if 20 years passed, a nightmare where I was up high, on a high metallic platform, an important platform where I would be able to reach what I wanted, that golden goal, in this dark place with no sunlight, a place filled with deep water under my platform. A familiar giant and scary fish would come out of the deep water, it's giant teeth ready to get me. It's message was clear : You are not worthy of that golden goal... you are not worthy of that jiggy... you did not help me.

Years passed. My body grew, but something special happened the day I found the courage to replay Clanker's Cavern again and after finishing the game fully...I felt I grew up also inside. I felt I grew after facing my old fears.

Nice story! Glad to know you beat the challange eventually.I wonder, though, didn't the sharks from Treasure Trove Cove and Rusty Bucket Bay scare you more than good ol' Clanker? Because they sure terrified me.

Seriously, is the first Donkey Kong Country the only platformer where the water levels are relaxing instead heart-skipping stressful? It's not just the music, one feels in control the whole time and doesn't need to replendish air at any point. I even have a shark from those levels as avatar.

To be honest, I could never find the courage to dive down and save Clanker either, at least at first. Also, kid me never figured out that Bubblegloop Swamp's portrait puzzle can be reached by diving into the water at the entrance of Clanker's Cavern and going through a passageway there... Similarly, I could never figure out how to reach Rusty Bucket Bay. There was a whole section of my childhood where I not only missed large portions of the game but never actually completed it.